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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Static Cling

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For the past year I have not been using dryer sheets!

What?!?!It seems crazy I know!What happened was this...every.single.time I washed my husband & my clothesthey would come out staticky (is that even a word?).My husband would get so annoyed when he would grab a shirt to put on and it would have a ton of static cling!So I always would end up using a new dryer sheet and rubbing it directly on his shirt, as he was wearing it!!Crazy I know!And this was even with me putting 1 and even 2 dryer sheets in with the laundry!Then my mother told me about a trick.Now I am sharing this trick with you all!

You can use any aluminum foil you please

I prefer to just use whatever is cheapest.

I usually pull out about this much

And then you crumple it loosely

Then you toss it in the dryer with your wet clothes...that's it!It will come out looking like this

Here is the difference side by side

And honestly, we have not had a problem with static cling since!

Also, I reuse my aluminum foil balls too.When I take out my clothes, I find the foil ball and I toss it on the top of my dryer.Then next time, I use that.

So there you have it!Easy peesy...and way cheaper!Bye bye static cling!!

I have to give credit where credit is due. Andrea told me about the foil in the dryer. Works great!!!! I'm sure Andrea could give you the scientific reason why it works, I just know that it does work. I use the foil until it gets really small and starts to flake, but that is just the Scotch in me. Mom

if you want to get rid of fabric softener, use white vinegar. i use about a cup to two cups of white vinegar in my laundry. After eliminating dryer sheets and/or fabric softener, my laundry stains less and when it does they come out easier. and NO you laundry doesn't smell like a marinade.

Thanks SO MUCH for sharing this tip!! I got on an all-natural laundry kick a few years ago and tried to get rid of dryer sheets for awhile. I wanted to do wool dryer balls, but never finished making them. Then I started using an organic liquid fabric softener diluted with water in a plastic canister. You cut a few cheapy kitchen sponges in half and toss them in, then squeeze out the excess and put the damp sponge in with your wet clothes in the dryer. When you pull them out, just toss the sponge back in the canister to use again. Clothes smell good and the stuff lasts a la-HONG time...but I still get static issues! I'm totally trying the foil! Maybe I can do both and have fresh smelling laundry without static by still avoiding dryer sheets : )

This is fantastic! We've been dryer sheet free for almost five years. I bought the dryer balls, but they didn't seem to be doing anything, so I quit them too. We've never noticed that much static until we moved to a new state, and now our clothes are full of it! My husband gets mad and says we have to give in and get sheets. I KNEW there was a better alternative. Thank you!

I use borax and washing soda to wash my clothes and have no static in the dryer. I do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets. Borax is a water softener as well as cleans. I think that's what keeps the static away.

If you're having that big of a problem with static, you are over drying your clothes or own way too much synthetic fabric for your own good!!! Cotton all the way! Either way, great tip--especially for me in the dry dry winters we have in VA. I shocked my self in the elevator so bad from static that it competed the circuit on the button and I never had to push it!

Kudos to you! You're also saving money and helping the planet because fabric softener contains chemicals you definitely do not want on your clothes! (They can cause cancer and other horrible things, just so you know).

I've long advocated using baking soda in the wash water and taking clothes out of the dryer while still slightly damp, since over-drying is a big cause of static. But for some people that isn't enough. I am so going to spread this! Found you on Pinterest, and off to repin like mad!

DO you unwad the foil for each use or just throw it in all compacted? I switched to dryer balls about 9 months ago and haven't been happy--the static is enough to light up the bedroom when my husband pulls his shirt off! I've been told it's because I'm over drying but I think there is more to it.... Thanks for the tip!

Okay HUGE fan of cleaning/household tips. And I love that static can be avoided with FOIL. Who knew? Here's a few for you to try: Quick microwave cleaning; lazy stovetop cleanin; and easy sink cleaning: http://thefullmoxie.com/2012/02/16/diy-three-cheap-awesome-cleaning-tips/

Didnt work for us. I used them for a few months and tons of static. Had to replace them every few loads. I went and bought the $2 dryer balls from Walmart and now have very little static - and they dont fall apart!

Didnt work for us. I used them for a few months and tons of static. Had to replace them every few loads. I went and bought the $2 dryer balls from Walmart and now have very little static - and they dont fall apart!

You shouldn't use fabric softener on your towels anyway. It makes them less absorbent.

The foil doesn't blow up like in the microwave because there are no microwaves in the dryer. Just hot air. The foil has a problem with the microwave because it reflects the wave back to the microwave.

The foil works (if I remember my 5th grade science correctly) because static is extra electrons (?) and the foil gathers them up so they aren't left on the clothes. They are attracted to the foil and stay there.

It works because static is electricity that is of a different charge than you are. The foil takes the clothes to the common ground of the machine, and does not allow the static to build up from clothes rubbing against each other. If you want a more scientific explanation, then google it.

Wow! Thank you very much! Anyone with anything negative to say is just being ignorant. Don't be mad because you didn't think of it yourself, be glad she was nice enough to share it with all of us! Thank you for sharing. I am going to do a load of laundry right now. Can't wait to try this. :)

Well I tried this today. I completely ran out of fabric softener and dryer sheets and was not wanting to get out in the cold to go shopping so I though what the heck, I'll give it a try. Epic fail! I don't know if I did something wrong, it's where I live, the time of year or what but it simply did not get rid of my static cling. It wase orth a try but I'll stick to fabric softener.